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18 Jul 2017, 10:13 (Ref:3752352) | #76 | ||
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Or, more and more often it seems, not if some other reason. Plus if doing 65 or even 70 set on the cruise control presumably autopilot will just adjust to the speed of the vehicle in front? Second point - yep. Although most people seem to have cottoned on to that in the 50 limits these days. |
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18 Jul 2017, 11:21 (Ref:3752372) | #77 | |||
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Yes, intelligent cruise controls (not necessarily linked to an autonomous mode) will vary your speed depending on the traffic in front. That's got nothing to do with the car being an EV or another type. |
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18 Jul 2017, 12:18 (Ref:3752386) | #78 | ||
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So the idea of sitting in the middle lane (or A middle lane in "smart" section of a motorway) in a large vehicle sandwich letting the intelligent cruise controls or complete autopilot systems (more likely them) take over is still not one I feel comfortable with. Fortunately I am not in a position to be concerned about such things with my current personal transport! |
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18 Jul 2017, 12:42 (Ref:3752395) | #79 | ||
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Meanwhile down here in Spain with plenty of sun we have lots of solar farms, and wind turbines up on the mountain ridges, also from this year the Spanish government hopes to boost the number of electric cars on the roads with new grants available in 2017. Anyone who is resident in Spain is eligible.
A budget of over 14 million euros has been set aside for grants for the purchase of electric cars, including plug-in hybrids. The scheme is called Movea 2017 and was approved in June. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until 15 Oct 2017, or earlier if funds are depleted. Grant amounts are based on the km driving range of the vehicle purchased |
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
18 Jul 2017, 17:11 (Ref:3752476) | #80 | |||
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18 Jul 2017, 18:15 (Ref:3752504) | #81 | ||
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Can't see it being political as most of the government is corrupt unless someone is actually making money out of it !!! true
This actually started in 2011 when they were giving a subsidy of 25% up until November of that year. now they are giving €5500 for cars with over a 90k range. However I have never noticed an electric car in my area and I have never seen any charging points either ! |
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
18 Jul 2017, 18:35 (Ref:3752516) | #82 | |||
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Or perhaps EV owners plug straight into a solar or wind farm..... Last edited by Mike Bell; 18 Jul 2017 at 18:41. |
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18 Jul 2017, 18:38 (Ref:3752518) | #83 | ||
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Out of curiosity what is the real world (as opposed to brochure) timeframe for charging up something like a Nissan Leaf? Lets say from warning light on to fully charged?
Does it get longer over time or does the range drop with more re-charges? |
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18 Jul 2017, 19:00 (Ref:3752527) | #84 | ||
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A huge downside was the dealers and servicing (In the US anyway). You'd drive your Leaf into the garage for a service and they look at you like you just flew a UFO in for an oil change. Apparently Toyota were even worse with the Electric RAV4, with some garages not even knowing it existed. |
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18 Jul 2017, 19:55 (Ref:3752569) | #85 | ||||
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The idea of having quickly replaceable battery packs has been explored by at least one manufacturer. (Renault) Rather than charge at a public point, you would drive into a service bay where the battery pack was swapped from underneath while you waited. So you would always be swapping batteries, and presumably would have some sort of service contract to pay for the scheme. Not sure if the idea is still being developed? |
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18 Jul 2017, 19:57 (Ref:3752570) | #86 | |||
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So only two in our area that covers quite a big area. In the summer season down the "kiss me quick fish n chip" end it's ridiculous to drive and park anyway and is far quicker to walk (if you like 35 + deg heat) I won't be buying one in the foreseeable future unless the powers that be in Spain make me give up my old 206 Pug that still does over 50mpg |
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
18 Jul 2017, 20:10 (Ref:3752576) | #87 | |||
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On a more serious note I was speaking to a local "entrepreneur" last night who said that he is actively involved at making batteries totally different to what is available now, if it works then he will either make millions or be brought out by the petro/chemical industry |
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
18 Jul 2017, 21:28 (Ref:3752607) | #88 | ||
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Of course there are a lot more petrol nozzles than chargers though! |
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18 Jul 2017, 22:28 (Ref:3752626) | #89 | |||
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Lets get this into some sort of sensible order, a petrol station can turn over a lot of cars in a short time whereas you have to park a car to charge for a considerable time, the infrastructure will have to be massive and I can't see how it is going to work with millions of cars on the road. Fair enough if you can charge it at home but what about the millions of cars parked both sides of the roads in our overcrowded towns and cities ? you will have to have charging points every 4/5 metres, I can see the aggro that that is going to cause and I am sure that this will not be happening in the foreseeable future. |
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
19 Jul 2017, 06:10 (Ref:3752691) | #90 | ||
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We are starting to repeat ourselves but nothing new there....
The idea that petrol stations will in future have a row of charging points ain't going to happen IMHO. Despite our government putting it into the recent Queens Speech. Maybe a new build premises with plenty of space could manage it, but certainly not most of the existing ones. Similarly, a row of terraced houses with only street parking in front (usually cars half on pavement) is not going to be suddenly sprouting charging points. Driving round locally and in Norwich, I see many on-street parking bays and other convenient locations for chargers. All car parks should have them, and 3 of the biggest multi stories in the city do. So does the rail station, two of the Park & Ride locations, and the airport. We do need the charger infrastructure to at least keep up with EV market growth, and that is going to need someone's money..... |
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19 Jul 2017, 06:58 (Ref:3752697) | #91 | |
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You're completely correct, it'll take a lot of work. But it wasn't like building 20,000 petrol stations around the country was overnight.
Modern lamp posts in the UK (The ones just installed in Dundee for example) have removal panels and have camping hookups on the inside that pull out. Obviously currently designed for local services to plug in street sweepers and what not. I mean all this evidence is of course anecdotal, but I went for a run this morning and I passed 1 petrol station, and 3 electric chargers. Once again, as I've said over and over and over, nobody is saying everybody should move to electric cars tomorrow and they fit perfectly for everybody. I'm saying that in the UK, there ARE chargers out there. I'm not saying they turn cars around fast (I even pointed out that there are more nozzles!), I was just giving an easy to visualize perspective of how many chargers there are. It might be different in Spain, but in the UK, when you look around, there is quite a lot. As Mike says, things like car parks are perfect for these. You build a lovely big new car park, 4 stories high, with 500 spaces in it, for the new shopping centre...why not put chargers in those? Yes it's totally expensive, but if we don't start now, we'll be paying catch up. The street outside your house isn't necessarily the best place for a charger, but that's not an impossibility. |
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19 Jul 2017, 08:08 (Ref:3752706) | #92 | |||
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19 Jul 2017, 09:13 (Ref:3752720) | #93 | |||
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19 Jul 2017, 10:03 (Ref:3752737) | #94 | |||
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Looks interesting although it doesn't mention the Leaf and has a Type 2 connector (Leaf has Type 1 and Chademo). I have heard of people using the blue 'Commando' 16A outputs that come on campsites, and in race paddocks by the sound of it. If I were to enter something in the Leaf I'd look into that further. Having been quite successful in the Impreza in this year's Pom though, and enjoying wringing its neck, I'll probably give it another go in that first. Will see if the 2018 regs include a mention of the conversion factor for EVs and then decide if it's worth trying it in the Leaf. |
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19 Jul 2017, 13:30 (Ref:3752791) | #95 | ||
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Yes, that's the kiddy. I hadnt looked to see if they did one with Type 1 connector, but now that I have, doesn't appear they do. Not cheap, BTW, so likely saved you a load of dosh!
I have the earlier model which is bulkier because it uses a metal box for all the electronic-ery. With all the fly leads, it won't fit in the front compartment , but I use it at the w/shop plugged into a 16a 3 phase socket. If I was going to a race paddock, I would find out what sockets are there and just take the specific lead. There was almost an international incident at Dijon Prenois last year. It was pouring with rain and the aformentioned Tesla was charging via juice booster from the paddock supply. A supervisor saw the lead and device lying on the ground, getting wet, and promptly unplugged it! Of course the owner immediately knew via his phone app, so raced over to see what was going on. It took a lot of convincing that it was all waterproof...... |
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19 Jul 2017, 18:11 (Ref:3752848) | #96 | ||
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another thing about electric cars, my only driving encounter was with a hybrid yaris in france, where i could see electric cars being useful for the bella clan (we run a house plus water pumps/heating etc on between 70 and 100% solar power, depending on season). except it couldn't handle going up the hill on the way home every time and resorted to using the ice at horrendous mpg. does anyone use an electric car in a hilly area in the uk? (mike you clearly can't answer that one ) how different is your mileage? |
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19 Jul 2017, 19:04 (Ref:3752859) | #97 | |||
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However, I can say that I have never seen an EV parked and hooked up in the charging bays at any of the local supermarkets. The one I go to most often can get fully occupied on a regular basis, but the two bays reserved for EV's are always empty. Seems as though other motorists are more considerate about not parking in those two slots than they are about parking in the disabled and parent parking spaces. Funny that! |
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19 Jul 2017, 19:23 (Ref:3752866) | #98 | |
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The most recent Leaf does regen braking though doesn't it? Probably similar to the Tesla, where even free wheeling down hill without the brakes will add charge?
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19 Jul 2017, 19:30 (Ref:3752869) | #99 | |||
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Some hybrids give worse consumption in the real world than an ICE equivalent. When I was waiting to charge up on the M11 several weeks ago, a Leaf owner occupying the charger bay complained about all the hills on that motorway..... Yes, like any vehicle, hills will affect the consumption and therefore range. If you have only a short range to start with, it will be more noticeable! |
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19 Jul 2017, 19:44 (Ref:3752876) | #100 | |||
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The regenerative braking isn't adjustable on the i3, but it is extremely effective! With a bit of anticipation, it is possible to drive around without using the brakes at all. The braking effect can be so strong that the brake lights automatically come on to warn anyone behind. And it does put juice back into the battery. Someone did a calculation of how long a hill (of a specific gradient) a Tesla would need to travel down to completely recharge the battery. And no, I don't know the answer...... |
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